Why am I required to pay an FCC Line Charge of $6.00 when I don’t even use long-distance service?
A. The $6 Subscriber Line Charge (also known as “FCC line charge” or “end user common line charge”) is required by the FCC to allow local phone companies to recover some of the costs of providing access to the interstate long-distance network. This charge has increased substantially in recent years because the FCC has reduced per-minute access charges paid by long-distance companies and has required local phone customers to make up the difference. Even if you make few or no long-distance calls and even if you have no presubscribed long-distance provider at all, the FCC allows local companies to bill you for this charge every month. Based on current plans, the charge may become even higher in the future. If you feel this is unfair, you may contact your federal elected officials; only Congress can require the FCC to change its policies. However, the Public Advocate has been working with its national consumer advocacy affiliate to persuade the FCC to reverse course on this policy.
